Kitchen cabinet for corner use



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May 5, 1953 c. s, Mor'rER 2,637,513

KITCHEN CABINET FOR CORNER USE Filed Harsh 1. 1949 4 sheets-Smm i,

Wy El? Z-zzfezz '071 c. s. MoT'rER KITCHEN CABINET FoR CORNER USE May 5, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Maron 1. 1949 C May 5, 1953 c. s. Mor'rER 2,637,613

KITCHEN cABINET Foa CORNER .usr-z Filed Haren 1. 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 May 5, 1953 c. s. MoT'rER KITCHEN CABINET FCR CORNER USE Filed llarch l. 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 .mi MHH n Patented May 5, 1953 f UNITED STATES PATENT OEFECE.

ton Manufacturing Company,

corporation of Illinois Application March 1, 1949, Serial No. 79,003

Another and further object of my invention is the povision of a corner cabinet having rotatable shelves therein upon which food can be stored or various articles such as kitchen utensils or the like can be placed and space which has heretofore been of no use is converted into useful space in such manner that it can be utilized conveniently, erfectually and quickly by the housewife.

Another and further object of my invention is the provision of a corner cabinet which isl designed in such fashion that a pleasing external Wall appearance is presented to conform in contour to the adjacent cabinets, so that a symmetrical appearance of the cabinets is maintained and means is provided for converting what heretofore has been useless space into space that is useful and convenient for use in a kitchen. In the installation of base cabinets, cabinet sinks and the like in kitchens the 'treatment of the corner of the kitchen where cabinets are used on adjacent Walls been one of the major problerns in equipping kitchens with cabinets for food storage purposes, reception of kitchen utensils and the like, so as to bring together in a compact close area foods needed for cooking and the utensils needed in its preparation and the like.

It has been the practice heretofore to provide corner fillers which have a top conforming to the tops oi the base cabinets and a front contour Which also conforms to the front oi the base cabinets, all of which is supported usually on a podestal placed at the front of the corner cabinet and usually serving a Eller between the corners of the adjacent cabinets thereof, sealing off the space in the corner so that no value can be had to it for any purpose. This space thereupon collects dust and the like and because of its not being accessible is diilicult to keep clean, odors are apt to result and up to the present time this treatment has not been at all satisfactory, all of vwhich is remedied with my improved cabinet.

Another and further object of my invention is the provision of a cabinet having a pluralityV ci' spaced shelves therein upon which a closure member is mountedin such a manner that the Chicago, Ill., a

7 anims. (o1. S12- 238i 2 shelves and the closure meinbercan be rotated, thus bringing all portions of the shelves close to the opening formed vbetween the corners of adjacent cabinets, so that a housewife can have easy access to the shelvesj These and other objects of my invention will be more fully and better-understood by reference to the accompanying drawings and in which:

Figure l is an elevational View showing` the kitchen cabinet in closed position in a corner between two base cabinets; v p

Figure 2 isa View similar to Figure l showing the corner cabinet in operating open position;

Figure 3 is ajview similar to Figures 1 and 2 showing the cabinet in full open` position;

.Figure 4 is an elevational View of the cabinet showing portions of the closure member broken away to illustrate the details of its operation;

Figure 5 is a top plan View on lines 5-5 o Figure 4.;

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view on` line t of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a detailed view showing the lower edge of the closure member and its mounting on the lowermost shelf; and

Figure 8 is a sectional view on lines 8-8 of Figure 7.

Referring novi7 specically to the drawings and which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout, a cabinet is shown consisting of two angularly disposed back wall members i@ and i i in edge to edge relation with each other and preferably Welded together, a top member i2 and a bottom member it, these members being formed preferably of sheet metal or the like and are spot Welded or secured together with any appropriate means.

Openings lli, ill are formed in the back Wall members i and il for the reception of screws or the like, which may be placed therethrough to anchor a rnernber to a Wall, if such anchor isv desired, although it is not necessary to support the corner cabinet in place that it be anchored to the Wall.

A. vertical extending rotating shaft iii is provided, which is mounted in a plate il at its lower end secured to the bottom member it and in a plate lil at its upper end spot Welded or otherwis secured to the top member it?, and is l0- cated adjacent the free corners of the top i2 and bottom I3. spaced shelves le, 2c and 2i are provided, each shelf comprisingv a U-shaped chanu nel support' section 'l having ange portions 23 and E11 thereon upon the edges of which are horizontal extending rib portions 25 and 25 at the outer edges thereof. These support sections 22 have centrally located holes therein through which the shaft I5 passes, and supporting collars 2l are provided which are secured to the shaft i5 by means of pins 28 with a shelf portion 29 being provided around which a rim 39 is placed to form the shelf, the rim 39 being turned under the outer edge of the shelf portion 29 and spot welded thereto, with the shelf portion 29 and the rib portions 25 and 26 of the flange 23 and 24 being spot welded together with an upper collar 3| being provided which is tted around the shaft I6 and is in engagement with the upper surface of the shelf member 29.

A pair of channel sections 32 and 33 arey provided, these cross members being of the same cross-sectional contour as the channel sections 22, with their inner ends abutting against the sides of the said channel sections 23 and have ribs 34, 34 thereon which are spot welded to the bottom of the shelf forming member 29, so that these units are held in unitary structural engagement with each other and providing a shelf which is fixed upon the shaft I6 and rotates therewith.

As shown in the drawings, an upper shelf I9 is provided along with a lower shelf 2| and an intermediate shelf 20. 'I'he structure of these shelves is exactly the same except that the intermediate shelf 29 does not extend quite as far to the front as does the upper shelf I9 and lower shelf 2| to provide clearance for the closure operating members hereinafter described.

A closure member designated as a whole as 35 is provided which consists of a top section 36, an intermediate section 31 and a bottom section 38, all of these sections being concave, when considered from the front of the cabinet. The top section 35 has wing portions 39 and 40 formed thereon which are angularly disposed to the section 36 and has rubber buttons 4I, 4I mounted thereon. The top member 35 has a horizontal base portion 42 to which the central door section 3'I is secured at its top by being spot welded thereto or otherwise secured in position and has an inwardly extending flange 43 at the bottom thereof to which the bottom section 38 of the closure member is secured. The closure member 31 has anges 44, 44 thereon upon which rubber buttons 4| 4I are mounted, while the bottom member 38 has flanges 45, 45 thereon, each of these flanges coming into alignment with the side walls of adjacent cabinets when the closure member 35 is pulled outward to its full extended position. Vertically positioned against the inner face of the closure member 31 is an angle 45 which is held in position by a pair of bolts 4'I, 41 extending through the base of a handle member 48, thus holding the handle 48 in position and also holding the angle member in position against the inner face of this member supporting and strengthening the member 3'! and preventing it from being distorted.

A pair of levers 49 and 59 are provided which are pivoted together at their centers by means of a bolt 5| with the lever 5U being secured to an angle 52 Welded to the underside of the shelf supporting member 22 with a bolt 53 being provided tted into a slot 54 in the angle 52, this lever at its lower end being secured to the angle 46 by means of a bolt 55 extending through a hole 58 in the lower end of this lever 50 and through a slotted opening in the angle 49. The lever 49 has a bolt 51 extending therethrough at its lower end and through an angle 58 spot welded to the upper surface of the shelf portion 29 of the lower shelf 2|. At the upper end the lever 49 is secured to the upper end of the angle 45 by means of a bolt 59 extending through a slot 60 in the upper end of the angle 45, thus providing means for the mounting of the closure member 35 so as to close the space between two adjacent base cabinets, and its movement in and out of the two levers 49 and 59 forming a combination commonly known as lazy tongs for this purpose.

Because the openings at each end of the angle 45, and in the angle 52 are slotted, While the lever 49 at its lower end is pivotally mounted to the angle 58 by means of a bolt passing through ordinary holes in the angle 52 and the lever 49, the path of movement of the lever 49 is arcuate and as the closure member 35 moves toward the shelves the closure member 35 is lifted slightly so as to clear the floor as the shelves are rotated.

A triangular shaped lower lguide 6| having a base portion 62 is provided which is secured at its base to the inturned flange 43 at the bottom of the intermediate door section 3'I by means of bolts 53. This guide 6I being a channel section with its anges inturned towards each other and rests upon the web portion of the support member 22, is narrower at its inner end in a vertical direction than at the outer end with inclined faces 54, 54 with the guide being fitted into the end of support member 22 with the angular side 54 in engagement with the web in this member 22 and sliding on the member 22 as the closure member 35 moves toward and away from the edges of the shelves I9, 20 and 2|.

A similar guide 65 is provided at the upper end of the closure member which extends into a support member 22 on the upper shelf I9 in the same fashion as heretofore described with respect to the guide 62 at the lower end of the closure member and is secured to the flange 42 by means of bolts 65, 96. The purpose of these guides 6I and 65 is to assist in lifting the closure member 35 free of the floor when the closure member 35 is in position against the shelves, as shown particularly in Figure 6, so the shelves can be rotated without the closure member 35 dragging on the floor. The angularity of the faces of these guides 6I and 65 is proportionate to the distance of lift of the lever 49 upon the closure 35 as it moves toward the shelves, and the corresponding drop in this closure member as it is moved away from the shelves. When the closure member 35 is pulled out into extended position the edge of the closure member 38 rests on the floor as shown in Figure 7, completely closing the opening between two adjacent base cabinets or the like, such as a base cabinet El and a second base cabinet 83 placed adjacent thereto. A pair of bullet catches 69 and lil are provided which are mounted on the flanges 23 and Z4 of the support member 22 for the top shelf I9 and engage in recesses formed in the sides of the guide 65 and which hold the closure member 35 in place when the closure member is positioned inward against the shelves so the shelves can be freely rotated.

In operation the corner cabinet is normally mounted between the two base cabinets G7 and S8, these cabinets having set in bottom walls 1|, II and either drawers or doors intermediate the top and bottom, which project out farther than the lower section 29, but normally not quite so far out as the top drawers l2 and 'i3 on the cabinets 6'! and B8. These sections correspond generally to the upper section 35 onthe closure aesfmrs member for the corner cabinet neretoffoi-eA described. A top` sectionA 'Mi is provided having a curved forward edge 15, this, unit conforming, to the tops of, the cabinetsl GT and 68 andina-y ci' may not be supported' on the corner cabinet. If supported, on the corner cabinet, it woutd. rest on the. uppern wall t2' and extend' forward thereof to engage in abuttingarrangement againstthe tops of: the adjacent cabinets 6T and G3i. Usuallythese tops arey independently supported with proper mounting means, butV inanyI event a smooth upper surface is provided,k which forms work surface, a receptacle surface or the like.

When base cabinets are positioned against ad'- jacent walls, they must be spaced with respect to `each other else there is interference with'the opening and closing of the doors and drawers of these cabinets. This space depends somewhat upon the design of the builder, but normally they should be spaced so that there is a space of some eight or ten inches between the corners of these adjacent cabinets. This space is suflicient to allow easy access to the space and the cabinets as designed, provided the closure member 35 is of a suiiicient width to close the space between adjacent cabinets, so that a symmetrical and clean contoured surface is externally presented.

In the operation of the corner cabinet, when the housewife wants to ll the shelves, she grasps the handle 48, pushes the handle inward until the bullet catches engage to hold the closure 35 adjacent the shelves in which position the shelves can be rotated and iilled with can goods or whatever materials she may desire to place in the cabinet. An ordinary system corner cabinet with three shelves will hold something like two and a half cases of canned goods. The rotation of the shelves brings all of the edges of these shelves toward the opening, so that they can easily be lled and when the housewife desires to close the cabinet, the shelves are turned so that she can grasp the handle and rotate it so that it is approximately in the center, pulls outward on the handle and due to the side anges 39 and 4B, lll and 45, engaging against the side walls of the adiacent cabinets 61 and 68, the closure member 35 is automatically centered and at the same time is lowered because as the closure member is pulled outward and it is lowered because of the angular faces of the guides (il and 65, so that a complete closure of the cabinet opening is provided. When it is desired to clean the surface of the floor with a mop or the like the closure 35 is pushed inward and the lower shelf is sufficiently above the lower level so that access can be had underneath the cabinet for cleaning purposes and the like.

While I have described more or less precisely the details of construction, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, as I contemplate changes in form and the proportion of parts and the substitution of equivalents as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing from the spirit or scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A corner kitchen cabinet comprising in combination a cabinet shell consisting of top and bottom portions and a wall portion connecting the said top and bottom portions, a vertical shaft mounted in the top and bottom portions, rotatable spaced shelves on said vertical shaft, a closure member, levers connected to certain of said shelves and to the said closure member Wherebythe closurey member is adapted to be moved toward and' away from the said shelves.

2'. A corner kitchenA cabinet comprising in: com.- binationa'` cabinet. shell consisting of' top,` and bottom portions and a wall. portion connecting the said top: and: bottom portions, anvertcali shaft mounted inv the: top-` and bottom portions, rotatable: spaced shelves: on said vertical shaft, a closureimembler, au pairV of compound levers connectedi to. certain: of' said shelves and to the said closure member whereby the. closure member iS adapted to be moved toward and away from the saidzshelves;

3. A corner kitchen cabinet comprising in combination a cabinet shell consisting of top and bottom portions and a wall portion connecting the said top and bottom portions, a vertical shaft mounted in the top and bottom portions, rotatable spaced shelves on said vertical shaft, a closure member, a pair of levers partially connected at their central portion and to certain of said shelves at one of their ends and to the said closure member at the other, whereby linear movement of the said closure member is permitted.

4. A corner kitchen cabinet comprising in combination a cabinet shell consisting of top and bottom portions and a wall portion connecting the said top and bottom portions, a vertical shaft mounted in the top and bottom portions, rotatable spaced shelves on said vertical shaft, a closure member, levers connected to certain of said shelves and to the said closure member whereby the closure member is adapted to be moved toward and away from the said shelves and guides secured to said closure member and in engagement with the said shelves whereby the closure member is raised as the closure member is moved toward the shelves and lowered as it moves away from the said shelves.

5. A corner kitchen cabinet comprising in combination a cabinet shell consisting of top and bottom portions and a wall portion connecting the said top and bottom portions, a vertical shaft mounted in the top and bottom portions, rotatable spaced shelves on said vertical shaft, a closure member, levers connected to certain of said shelves and to the said closure member whereby the closure member is adapted to be moved toward and away from the said shelves and triangular shaped guides secured to said closure member and in engagement with the said shelves whereby the closure member is raised as the closure member is moved toward the shelves and lowered as it moves away from the said shelves.

6. A corner kitchen cabinet comprising in combination a support cabinet having a top and bottom portion and an angularly disposed rear wall, a rotating shaft mounted in said top and bottom portions, a plurality of shelf supports in spaced relation with each other mounted on said shaft, shelves on said supports, a closure member, a pair of levers pivotally connected at their centers and at one side to the shelf supports and at the other to said closure member and guides having angular sides secured to the closure member at their outer ends and extending into engagement with the shelf support members whereby as the closure member is moved towards the shelves it is raised and is lowered as it moves away from the shelves.

'7. In a corner kitchen cabinet comprising in combination a support cabinet having a top and bottom portion and an angularly disposed rear wall, a rotating shaft mounted in said top and bottom portions, a plurality of shelf supports. in

7 spaced relation with each other mounted on said shaft, shelves on said supports, a curved closure member, a pair of levers pvotally connected at 8 References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS towards the shelves it is raised and is lowered 10 as it moves away from the shelves.

CHARLES S. MOTTER.

Name Date Stanitz Apr. 24, 1945 Durand May 12, 1863 Harlan Feb. 18, 1913 Hodges Sept. 18, 1923 Pratt Apr. 29, 1941 I-Iirshbergh Oct. 26, 1948 OTHER REFERENCES Patten: Abstract No. 9835, published May 1, 

